


non est factum

by nightingalesdonotsing (songbirdonvoyage)



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dumbledore's Experiment Gone Weird, M/M, Prompt Fic, Veritaserum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-29 01:54:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18768799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songbirdonvoyage/pseuds/nightingalesdonotsing
Summary: Wear my heart on you, just like how you wear yours on your sleeve.500-word prompt challenge. What happens when a wizard is high on potion, basically.Spoilers for Crimes of Grindelwald's ending.Liberal dose of artistic license, be warned that is.





	non est factum

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [non est factum](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/480274) by 夜莺不鸣. 



.

.

.

  


Albus Dumbledore could have been the craftiest wizard in the whole of Great Britain, if he wasn't being modest himself. He could have calculated every move & devised his plan like a clockwork.

Newt Scamander's Niffler bringing the Blood Pact's Vial to him, however, was not what he could have predicted.

The snoring Niffler on Newt's lap had yet to stir. Newt himself held on, evidently quiet & already retreating into the armchair in his office. Dumbledore knew that he was simply biding his time.   

His thumb brushed through the etched words on the Vial—it was a new embellishment, carved in a precise flourish by Gellert Grindelwald himself.

_Non est factum_

"Dumbledore."

"No." He declared. "I was once handicapped, Newt. But now, thanks to you," The Vial hovered above in languid twirls. "I stand a chance."

Despite a journey across the sea, familiar whiffs of his magic lingered still, permeating the air between them.

It felt comforting, welcoming even.

 

* * *

 

The flask of clear liquid bore an ominous glint in the moonlit room.

Here he was, in the Room of Requirement, yet another clandestine experiment for his crippled move against Grindelwald.

"Cheers." He downed it in one gulp.

Many claimed that Veritaserum tasted like it looked, almost indistinguishable from water. 'Almost' being the keyword—everything came afterwards would have made one regret for thinking so.

When the hell-blaze of untold truths had seared its ways down to his oesophagus, Dumbledore nearly retched—the dosage he took was thrice the recommended dosage for adult consumption. Everything became a dilated, burnt-out mess.

All the long hours of tinkering, examining... He thought he would already knew what he would see in the Mirror of Erised.

Except for this time, the Dark Wizard was behind him, no longer the young boy that made his way into his sleepless nights. Bespoke wears, polished fineries. He was charisma and power packaged in a collection of sharp edges. 

Grindelwald's lips grazed his ear as he spoke.

"What is it that you seek for, Albus?"

Veritaserum gave him focus, pinpoint accuracy on unspeakable desires.

He did not relent.

"You." He choked back. "I want to go against you."

A satisfied hum. "Is that so?"

He willed himself to look into the mirror, square in the eyes. "No one deserves to go against you, besides me."

Grindelwald's deft fingers had already unbuttoned his suit and found their way to the Vial. Left, like how he had worn it.

He felt his breath hitched. "I need it to be safe, hidden away." Too real. "From the Ministry, from MACUSA, from your damned Army."

"From me."

"Yes, from you, especially." He said. "Until I can destroy it."

In the mirror, Grindelwald's eyes softened, a glimpse of the young boy leaked through his hardened features. "You will fight me head-on, then."

Their promise already lying in his palm, silver and ivory under the moonlight.

He was devoid of control, his compulsions unrestrained.

Dumbledore would allow himself to stay true, for once.

"If you are destined to fall, let me be your downfall." 

He felt the weight nestled in his pocket diminishing, then disappeared.

_Non est factum_

"It is not my deed." Dumbledore whispered. "You wish it hadn't happened, had you?"

His Gellert smiled, an upward curve of a scimitar.

"I wish it hadn't happened."

 

**Author's Note:**

> So this is written on a Saturday night for a writing contest actually. A 500-word prompt with the ending "I wish it hadn't happened". As you can see, I had an absolute field day & this ended up to 550 words HAHAHAHA.
> 
> I did not win (the other entries are awesome really!) So I decided to put this here instead, because why not?
> 
> 1\. No canon details on Veritaserum's aftertaste and all. I would imagine a potion that compels someone to spill his secret having a horrible aftermath. A magical overdose should be as unpleasant as its Muggle counterpart anyway.
> 
> 2\. No one really knows how Dumbledore hides the Philosopher Stone in the Mirror, so I took my artistic license and run with it. The theory behind Dumbledore's experiment: He would force an overdose on himself so he could push his Occlumency skills to the highest extent, hence manipulating the Mirror into concealing the Vial for him. There's more that he has done to the Mirror prior to this, so yeah. 
> 
> 3\. Non est factum (Latin for "it is not my deed") is a defense in English contract law that allows a signing party to escape performance of an agreement. A claim of non est factum means that the contract was a mistake, without knowledge of its meaning. 
> 
> (This is almost half as long as the prompt itself HAHAHA. Okay guys hope you like it. I promise I'll write more than this really.)


End file.
